Hindsight

Summary: "Ten years," James whispered to his wife. "We've been dead for Ten years… how is this possible?" Ten years after the tragedy at Godric's Hollow, James and Lily come back to life and find their world turned upside down.

Chapter 2

"James, Lily. I understand you have many questions about your friends and about Harry, but we need you to understand something before we talk about them. You see, the attack at Godric's Hollow may have been just last night, or maybe this night, to you but the truth is…"

"What is it, Albus?"

"James, Lily. That happened ten years ago. I know this may be hard to believe, but it's been ten years since that night and we've all believed you two to be dead."

They were sitting next to each other, their hands joined between them. Lily was squeezing his fingers so tightly her knuckles had turned white. According to Albus, Minerva and Minister Fudge, ten years ago, Lord Voldemort had found their house and killed them both. Their bodies had been found and buried in the plots where they had just crawled out of a few hours earlier. Harry had somehow been saved and Voldemort was vanquished.

It was a short story they gave them, and was obviously missing very important key points, but it was just about all they could take at the moment. Fudge and Dumbledore stepped off to the side for a moment, whispering to each other. Minerva had gone to fetch Dumbledore's penseive in order to prove James and Lily's identities. Snape had been sent to Godric's Hollow to verify their story. They were sure he went to look for empty coffins and destroyed graves.

"Ten years," James whispered to his wife. "We've been dead for ten years… how is this possible?"

"You think it's true?" She asked him dubiously. "That we've been dead?"

"What else could the explanation be, Lily? Look at them. Look at us! We're all older. And why else would we have been buried in coffins?"

"A plot?" she suggested. "Some kind of trap by Voldemort."

James shook his head. "I think they're telling the truth."

"They can't be," she argued. "Because if they are telling the truth then- then…" She bit her lip and clenched her eyes shut, her grip on James hand tightening even further. "Then our baby has been without us for ten years, James. For all the years he needed us to love him, to be with him, we weren't there."

James wanted to pull her into his side and comfort her, but the weight of her words had him near hyperventilating. "Harry-" He released Lily's hand and jumped to his feet. "Albus, Harry! Where is he? Is he here? Is he a student already?"

Albus turned away from his conversation with the Minister, who was still debating to himself whether the Potters were really back or not. "James, you must calm yourself. The school year has not started yet but I assure you, Harry is safe and has been taken care of since your death."

"He's with his godfather, then? Sirius?" A flash of dread crossed Fudge's face and despite his trepidation, James did not miss it. "He's not with Sirius?"

"With Remus, maybe?" Lily asked as she took the place next to her husband.

"Lupin?" The Minister snorted, suddenly forgetting what was bothering him. "The man petitioned for custody for three years before finally realizing he'd never be fit to lay a finger on the boy. Even tried for visitation, but the likes of him-"

"The likes of him?" James cut in harshly. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Dumbledore gave the Minister a pitying yet reproaching frown. Cornelius glanced between them wildly. "W-what I mean," he spluttered. "I understand he was your friend, Mr. Potter, but even you must understand that it would be far too dangerous to-"

Lily shook her head in disgust. "Remus Lupin was family and you wouldn't even allow- Where is he? Where is my son?"

"Now, Mrs. Potter-"

She raised the wand that she refused to return to her old childhood friend. "You tell us now or we'll look for him ourselves. Damn the consequences once people recognize us, damn your desire to have some kind of reveal for us to make it an easy transition. Our son is somewhere out there without us, his godfather or any of his other family."

"Now just one second! We are certainly not cruel enough to leave the boy without family!" Cornelius defended.

"Cornelius," Albus called warningly. "Maybe, I should be the one to explain this part."

"Without family?" James said dubiously. "If he isn't with Sirius, Remus, Peter or us, then what family does he have left?" Lily let out a horrified gasp, her hand flying to her mouth. "Lily? What is it?"

"Petunia," she whispered.

"Pe- Tuney?!" James whirled around and pointed an accusing finger at the headmaster and Minister. "You left our son with the Dursleys?!"

"Cornelius, it would be best if you returned to the Ministry for now. We shall call you back soon," Albus told the man. It was no suggestion and Fudge was quick to obey, disappearing through the floo. "Now, you two need to hear the explanation before you go to the Dursleys unprepared and-"

"How could you?" Lily fumed. "You knew. You knew what they could be like, what they thought of us. The things they must have done to our son!"

"It was the only place where Harry would be protected," Dumbledore insisted gently. "Your death, Lily, your sacrifice is why Harry survived that night. Your love for him placed a protective charm on him and made him untouchable, even to the killing curse."

James jaw dropped. "The killing curse? You told us he was saved."

"By the sacrificial protection Lily unintentionally put on him. Voldemort tried to kill him that night, but the curse rebounded, obliterated him and ripped his soul out of his body. You must understand, many believe him gone, never to return, but I am not so foolish to think so. Voldemort is out there somewhere, biding his time, waiting to regain his power, and Harry had to be protected. There was only one place Voldemort would never be able to hurt him."

"And that's the Dursleys?" James bellowed.

Lily placed a hand on James shoulder. "My blood… isn't that right, Albus?"

Albus nodded. "The protection you gave him would have been useless if he didn't stay with someone of your blood. I would have kept him, Remus, maybe even Minerva would have kept the boy, but we would have never been able to measure up to the protection he has staying with your sister."

James threw his head back in frustration. "Fine. So he's protected from Voldemort, yeah? But who's protecting him from those idiot muggles?!"

"James, I assure you, I have someone keeping an eye on-"

"On what? What goes on inside the house?" He defied. "I'm sure it all looks like sunshine and daises on the outside but our son is trapped with people who detest everything having to do with magic, and if not magic, then everything having to do with Lily. You honestly think they've ben treating him kindly?"

Dumbledore sighed. "It may not be the most ideal childhood, but have you stopped to consider that Petunia might have changed-"

Lily waved away the rest of his excuses with a shake of her head. "When can we get him?"

"Now, Lily. See reason. You can't just expect Harry to leave with you. He's thought you dead for ten years. You'll put the child into a shock. And where would you even go?"

"We have many properties," James answered immediately. "Nearly a dozen. Harry can choose himself whichever one will be home to him. And with Lily alive and well, we are certainly no longer in need of the Dursleys' hospitality." He spat the last word with such sarcasm that it nearly cracked Dumbledore's authoritative countenance. "Now, we're getting our son, and then we'll be finding our friends and-"

"Sit down, James."

Lily's heart stuttered. Albus had never taken that tone with her husband, not even when he was a misbehaving student playing too many pranks in the hallways. "James," she coaxed gently when she saw the man about to lose his temper. James looked to her and she nodded. "Let's listen to him."

"But Harry-"

"We'll get him, I promise, but right now, it seems the headmaster has much more to tell us about the past ten years."

And so they all sat once more near the fire, just as they had been when James and Lily had learned the truth about what happened at Godric's Hollow. Albus appeared to be having difficulty knowing where to start, before sitting straighter and giving them a sad, apologetic look. "Before I tell you, you must believe how sorry I am about what is happening to you now and what has happened to your family after your death. I understand it is hard to be dealing with all of this in such a few short hours of waking and you must be prepared to hear more unpleasant news."

"What is it, Dumbledore?" James asked impatiently. "Just tell us."

Albus took a deep breath. "On the night of your death, Sirius tracked Peter down and…"

Lily felt her body seize up when he paused. "No… did he find him? Is Peter…"

Dumbledore nodded grimly. "Peter died, but not because of Voldemort… He died at the hands of Sirius."

"What?" James thundered. "Wh-what do you mean? Sirius killed Peter?"

"I'm sorry, James, truly I am… but I believe Peter willingly betrayed you."

"He would never!" Lily denied. "No, not Peter! He-"

"I believed the same at first when you told me who your true secret keeper was," Albus told them. "That Sirius tracked him down, falsely thinking that he had betrayed you to Voldemort and killed him for it, but Peter said something- accused Sirius…"

"What do you mean?"

Albus' eyebrows scrunched together as though he were in deep thought. "Peter and Sirius confronted each other in the middle of a street and, before his death, Peter accused Sirius of betraying the both of you. He shouted out so that the people nearby would hear that Sirius was the one responsible for your deaths before Sirius finally lost his temper and killed him, along with twelve muggles, with a rather vicious explosion. All that was left of Peter was his finger."

James and Lily could hardly believe what they were hearing. There was no way Peter could have betrayed them… but then why would he have put the blame on Sirius? And he was obviously unharmed and in good health if he was out in public. "There were no signs of injury on him, Albus? No indication that he had been tortured or, or under the imperius?"

"The only man alive that could tell you is Sirius, and unfortunately, he was sentenced to life in Azkaban."

"Azkaban?" James exclaimed, horrified.

"For the betrayal and for killing Peter and all those people."

"But he's innocent!"

Albus shook his head. "He may not have been a Death Eater, but the people he murdered-"

"By accident!" Lily pleaded. "It's been ten years! Surely, he has served his time!"

"For murder?"

James got up and began pacing the room, tugging at his hair roughly as he began to cry once more. "My god… my god, Peter, he- my brother is looked up in Azkaban for a crime he didn't mean to- Where's Remus? He needs to know the truth! He has to know Sirius would have never done this to us!" He gripped his chest tightly at the thought of Peter. "How could he… how could he do this?!"

Lily raced to her husband, seeing he truly was about to start hyperventilating this time. "Breathe, love," she ordered. "Breathe!"

"Lily," he gasped out. "Peter, he- how could he-"

"I know, James, I know."

It took an hour for James to calm down, and another while for his tears to end as well. Fudge had been summoned back and was now waiting on them to talk to him. As much as they hated to admit it, fighting for Sirius' freedom took quick precedence over retrieving Harry from the Dursleys. Though they both knew that Petunia and her husband were most likely unkind to their son, they hoped he was well enough that they had enough time to plead Sirius' release.

If the news of their son's godfather wasn't bad enough, Albus had informed them that Remus did not dare touch the money James and Lily had left for him in their will and was constantly moving from place to place, unable to hold a job down once employers learned of his condition. Dumbledore seemed quite certain that he was somewhere in muggle Durham, working as a librarian, but they knew they'd feel more at peace once they finally found him.

"So, what did you need me for?" Cornelius asked not unkindly.

"You need to release Sirius Black from Azkaban," James stated simply.

The Minister became very uncomfortable. "Yes, Dumbledore did tell me about the switch in secret keepers… and though I understand why you would like him to be freed, you must take into consideration the mass murder he committed that night."

"Has ten years been enough of a sentence for you?" Lily inquired knowingly. This may have been about what Sirius did, but it was also about saving the Ministry's reputation and there was no way she would stand for it. "I'd say he paid his price."

"He killed people! The maniac was laughing in the street when I found him!"

Lily glanced at her husband warily. For god's sake, why did Sirius always have to make things harder for her? "And why was he laughing?"

"Wh…what?"

"I assume you asked him why he was laughing?" James snapped. "While he was on the stand?"

Fudge paled rather dramatically. "On the stand?"

He stared at the Minister like he was looking at a child. "Yes… on the stand. During his trial."

Fudge began playing with the buttons on his vest. "I- you must understand- the outrage that the Wizarding community- you two were quite loved once the story broke ou- well everyone wanted-"

"Sirius was sent to Azkaban without trial," Albus interrupted, taking pity on the man standing between them.

James' face turned red and his breath became ragged once more. "Without trial?! So, for all you know, that traitorous bastard Pettigrew could have been the one to blow everyone up and Sirius is sitting in Azkaban, innocent?! Because you refused him a trial?!"

Cornelius' jaw dropped at the idea of it. "No! That would be preposterous- he certainly… he obviously…" He sent a weak, desperate glance to the Headmaster. "Dumbledore?"

"The Ministry will certainly be facing speculation once this is learned of…" he pondered to himself. "I did try to warn Crouch that a trial should be done, but he couldn't be swayed, too caught up in his desire to catch and prosecute Death Eaters."

Fudge let out a wail of despair. "What will the Prophet say?"

"I don't care what the damn Prophet will say!" Lily bellowed. "An innocent man has been locked up in Azkaban for ten years because of the Ministry's idiocy! My son has been without his godfather because of you!"

Fudge flinched. "But Crouch was the one to-"

"Get. Him. Out of there! Now! Call an emergency trial! Put him on the stand! Give him veritaserum! I don't care what you do! You get Sirius out of that cell or I'll tear Azkaban apart myself to do it!"

"Boy!"

Harry groaned, wishing more than anything that his uncle had somehow infiltrated his subconscious and that this was all just a dream. He was feeling rather ill at the moment and just wanted to lie in bed, if only for a few minutes more. He heard Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia holler for him again and knew that if he didn't go to see them soon, he'd be in more trouble than he needed. As quickly as he could, he scrambled out of bed, threw his cupboard door open, careful not to bang it against the wall, and headed into the kitchen. "Good morning, Uncle Vernon," he said as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "Good morning, Aunt Petunia." He didn't miss the way they scowled at him. "The usual?"

"Did you not hear us the first time?" Uncle Vernon asked, ignoring his question.

"Sorry, Uncle Vernon," he replied automatically. "I just got… tangled in my sheets. Had a hard time untwisting them."

"I want none of that cheek, boy!"

Harry bit his tongue and rolled his eyes when he turned to the stove. "The usual?"

"Don't burn the bacon this time," Aunt Petunia chastised.

He wished he could tell them that the reason he burned the bacon was because Dudley had had him in a headlock, roughly rubbing his fat knuckles into his skull, but they'd punish him for "lying" about their sweet Dudders. He thought better than answering back and began cooking instead.

"Diddykins," Petunia cooed behind him when his cousin walked into the kitchen. "Good morning, Duddydums! Our birthday boy."

"In two days, Petunia," Vernon laughed. "Don't get the boy excited just yet."

Harry tried not to groan. He had almost forgotten that Dudley's birthday was so soon. All it meant for him was cooking more food he wouldn't be allowed to eat before getting carted off to Mrs. Figg's house with all her smelly cats.

"You still want to go to the zoo with Piers, Dudders?" his father asked him.

"I haven't said anything new about it, have I?" Dudley retorted rudely.

Harry rolled his eyes once more. Had he spoken that way to his aunt and uncle, he'd be whacked on the back of the head and locked in his cupboard, but Uncle Vernon just laughed heartily. "Course not, son!"

He was beginning to wonder who exactly was the head of the household here.

"He isn't coming with us, right?"

This time, Harry couldn't hold his snort back. As if he wanted to spend the day with the Dursleys. Sure, the zoo sounded like fun, but he'd rather be trapped in a lion's den than be seen in public with his relatives.

"Of course he isn't, darling," Petunia exclaimed. "He'll be going to Mrs. Figg's. Your birthday will be special, Diddy, nothing will ruin it. I promise."

Harry plated the toast, eggs, and bacon as quickly as he could. If he had to stand in that kitchen any longer, he was sure he'd combust. He dressed hastily, bid farewell to the Dursleys with an excuse that he wanted to get to school early to return a library book he'd borrowed, then ran out the front door and down the street. The fresh air was a stark contrast to his musty bedroom, and he took it in with big gulps, wondering how long they'd keep him in there when he got home after school. They'd surely use his hurried departure as enough reason to lock him up. "Insolent" they'd call it.

He shrugged as he finally slowed his pace. He guessed it would be better than cleaning the living room, or worse, Dudley's room. At least he'd have some peace and quiet in there, and might even be able to do some homework. His teacher's weren't pleased with how sporadically he handed his assignments in.

If they only knew it was because he was so busy doing chores, maybe they'd understand…

"Oi! Potter!"

Harry looked over his shoulder and groaned. A few yards away, stood Piers Polkiss and a few of Dudley's other friends. The smirks on their faces told him they were up for a round of Harry Hunting before school. He dropped his backpack behind some bushes, hoping no one would take them so he could grab it after school was done, and began sprinting as fast as he could, thundering footfalls behind him coming closer and closer.

His teachers certainly would be angry when he came in sweating, his clothes rumpled, and without any of his books. He was sure he'd get detention this time, but he still considered that a better alternative than all the work Aunt Petunia would have for him back home.